Combined brick kiln and drier



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N. U. LUDWIG COMBINED BRICK KILQN AND DRIER .A u 5 adm, .N .m 3 w n NM +v Y MMI evi S Y km. A. Nus a a led. May 20, 1922 N. U. LUDWIG COMBINED BRICK KILN AND DRIER Jan, 20, 1925.

Filed May 20, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .l2 lzllzllalllll.lnadwinilrulwulllulu Alvi-.f4 lidi-u F F 1 FV: IF 1:

Patented Jan. 20, 1925..

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NICHOLAS U. LUDWIG, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSEGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE W. WEYAND, OF BUFFALO, NEVI YORK.

COMBINED BRICK Application led May 20,

1o all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS U. LUD- WIG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buffalo, in the coimty of Erie and State of New York', have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Brick Kilns and Driers, of .which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the general class of plastic and earthenvvare apparatus, and. more particularly to kilns employed for drying and burning materials that are presented to Zones of the apparatus While traveling horizontally, the said invention being classed as a kiln for horizontally traveling material.

It is an object of this invention to produce a kihi of the tunnel type, associated with novel means for heating the tunnel in an intermediate Zone to a degree which will result in burning bricks or the like, and the Zone just mentioned might be regarded as the furnace or firing zone.

It is an object of the invention to provide a plurality of firing cavities Where burners for liquid or gaseous fuel are stationed, associated with means for supplying the fuel to the burners, and the provision of an open Wall thereabove preferably formed by superimposed layers o-f bricks arranged to produce an open-Work structure through which the products of combustion from the burners may circulate and from which they Will find their Way to the tunnel, it being understood that the said tunnel is elongated on each side of the firing Zone, in order that bricks on carriers, or the material to be burned or treated will be gradually heated on appreaching the firing Zone and will gradually cool as in passing from the firing Zone to the tunnel exit.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a tunnel of the character indicated, having a plurality of battle Walls in spaced relation to one another, the openings between the edges of the baffies being restricted as compared with the space enclosed by the tunnel Walls at the sides of the said battles, and it is the purpose of the inventor that carriers or cars shall have the bricks to be burned arranged in KILN AND DRIER.

1922. Serial No. 562,419.

courses thereon7 in the general configuration of the edges of the baffles, and so arranged tlmt only a small space or clearance exists between the ends and top of the courses and the edges of the battles, in or der that the circulation of the heated air may be restricted, due to the very small space or clearance afforded for its passage past the surfaces of the bricks.

It is furthermore an object of this in vention to provide novel means for delivering the cars containing the bricks to the tunnel in a manner to prevent radiation or escape of the heat contained in the tunnel, a condition which results in economy in the operation of the kiln.

It is a further object of this invention to produce cars adapted to run on suitable tracks Within the tunnel, the said cars having longitudinally extending troughs at their sides adapted to contain a reflector;v sealing agent in which a rib, iin or the like, forming a stationary part of the tunnel, extends to guard against the escape of heat and to prevent the bottom of the tunnel from becoming fouled 'through the deposit of sand ror the like.

It is a still further object ot this invention to provide a tunnel or housing for drying bricks prior to their being delivered to the kiln tunnel, and the provision of novel means for conserving the partially spent heat from the kiln for use `in the drier, means being provided for cmiducting or conveying the heat from the kiln to the end of the drier remote from the end in which the green or Wet bricks are introduced into the drier, the said drier being provided with a novel conveyer on which the bricks are deposited and by which the),v are carried through the drier channel.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a kiln of the character indicated, and a drier in associated relation to each other and to a stack to which heat may pass from the drier or from the kiln, means being also provided for diverting the heat from the kiln to the drier, or to the stack, according to the degree of healY emanating from the kiln, and the degree of heat desired for use in the drier.

It is a further object of this invention to produce an apparatus of the character indicated in which the cars have interlocking or inter-engaging joints at their ends which serve to prevent the circulation of air and the escape of heat from the Zone of the kiln tunnel Vin which the bricks are stored or being transferred while they are burned.

It is a further object of this invention to produce an apparatus of the character indicated which will possess advantages in points of efficiency and simplicity, the same being comparatively inexpensive to produce. A

TWith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invent-ion consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in whichp Y Figure 1 illustra-tes a horizontal sectional view of the combined kiln and' drier and the circulating lines associated therewith;

Figure Q- illustrates a sectional view through the firing zone of the burner on a line corresponding with the line 2--2 of Fgl; Y

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view on a line corresponding with the linel 3 3 of Fig. 1; g y Figure t illustrates a longitudinal sectional view of a fragment of the firing Zone and a fragment of the adjacent portion of the tunnel; l p

Figure 5 illustrates a longitudinal sectional view of a fragment of the drier;

Figure 6 illustrates a transverse sectional view of the drier; and

Figure 7 illustrates an enlarged detail sectional view showing the jointI between a car and a tunnel wall.

In these drawings 10 denotes the iii-ing Zone of the tunnel structure, 11 the Zone of approach to the firing Zone, and 12 the Yzone ot' discharge from the ring zone, it being understood that the zone of approach .is relatively longer than the zone of discharge or exit, and that this relation is maintained for the purpose of gradually heating the bricks as they approach the tiring zone and to gradually cool them after leaving the firing zone, although the length of time required for cooling is proportionately less than that required for the gradual heating of the bricks.

A trap-like entrance area lll constitutes an extension of the zone 11 and there is al door 15 which guards themouth of the tunnel si that loaded with bricks may be delivered to the entrance area without perinitting the escape of heat from the kiln. The entrance area also is guarded by an outer door 16, and when the car or cars have been delivered to the entrance area and the door 16 is closed, the door 15 may be opened to permit the car to pass into the kiln, and thereafter, the door 15 will again be closed so that the operation may be repeated without undue loss of heat.

n exit `area 1T is of thesame general construction as the entrance area, and the relation of parts as' to the doors and the like is the same, and the purposes are, of course, the same. Jilie tiring or burning Zone is slightly larger in cross sectional area than the zone of approach or thezone of exit, and each side Vof the tunnel is provided with a pluw rality of furnaces or heating vchambers 18 separated from cach other by walls orV partitions such as 19. The pits or lire bones20 may contain suitable liquid or gaseous fuel burners, and each hea-ting chamber ,prefer ably contains superimposed checkeredl bricks shown at 21 to permit the products of combustion to circulate andV escape from the inner sides of `the furnaces to the tunnel. Appropriate means maybe provided for supplying fuel and for controlling the burners, but, these features do not form parts of the. present invention, and as one skilled in the art will undi-irstand the construction and operation of these features, a detailed description or showing thereof is believed unnecessary. Y i

The tunnel wall at each end of the firing or burning zone is preferably thick as coinpared with the outer end 'ofthe zone of approach, in order to prevent radiation of the heat, and the inner walls of the tunnel from the firing Zone tothe entrance'area are provi-ded with baiiie arches 22 which are spaced apart from eachother, the vdistance between ,the said battle arches being increased as the outer end of the Vzone of approach is reached. It is the purpose of the inventor that these battle arches shall be approximately live feet apart in the firing Zone and that the distance between them shall increase to eight or ten feet or even more, under. some conditions, toward the outer endV of the Zone of approach'. As shown in the drawing, and particularly F ig. 3, the inner edges of the baflie arches are angularly disposed with relation to each other, in order that the courses of bricks arried on the trucks-or cars, to be presently explained, may have their ends terminate so that they will be in close proximity to the inner'edges of the battle arches to pr duce restricted openings between the ends of the courses and the said arches and between the top course of bricks and thel top Wall of the said arches. y

The-bottom of the tunnel may be provided with any suitable track 23 on which the cars 24 may travel, the bottom 25 of each car having its edges flanged as shown at 26 to lit into grooves 27 formed longitudinally of the side walls 28 and 29 of the tunnel. The purpose of this close fitting relation of the car and tunnel lining or tunnel wall is to prevent the circulation of the heated aii downwardly, and this arrangement therefore confines the heat to that area of the tunnel occupied by the material to be burned.

As a further means for eifectually sealing the upper area of the tunnel from the lower area thereof, depending flanges 30 are formed integral with a lining plate 31 secured in a recess 32 in each side wall of the tunnel, and the beams that are emp-loyed for supporting the bottom of the car, or at least the beams at each side of the car bottom, have troughs 34 secured on them, and the outer flange or side 35 of each trough extends upwardly above the plane of the lower edge of the flange 30. Each trough is supplied with a sealing agent 36 preferably of refractory material such as sand, and therefore, a sealed joint is formed by the flange which extends into the sand so that heat cannot radiate to the bottom of the t-unnel and affect the running gear oi the cars.

The car bottoms have their ends provided with flanges 37 in such relation to one another that they practically interlock to form a joint which will tend to retard the circulation of heat between the ends of the cars, a condition which is intended to further prevent the escape of heat from the area occupied by the material to be treated.

The system is provided with a stack 3S which is in communication with one end of the tunnel by any suitable duct 39, which may be provided with an appropriate damper for controlling the circulation of the heated air to the stack.

The duct or underground flue 4() is in communication with the stack and with the tunnel through the medium of an outlet box 41, provided with a damper, conventionally sho-wu at 42. and the said outlet box 41 is also in communication with a duct or flue 4B which discharges .into a drying tunnel 44. T he drying tunnel preferably extends parallel with the kiln in spaced relation thereto, and the heat from the kiln may be discharged partially or wholly into the drying tunnel, according to the degree of heat emanating from the kiln.

The drying tunnel, which is shown in cross section in Fig. 6, may have a suitable conveyer 45, the brick supporting element 46 of which extends over ledges 47 and 48 on the inner surfaces of the side walls to produce an overlapping joint that will prevent the escape of heat from above the conveyer, and the conveyer may be operated in any appropriate way to carry bricks from the end of the conveyer adjacent the stack 5S to the end of the conveyer which is in proximity to the entrance area of the tunnel.

As heat is delivered to the drier at the end remote from the point where bricks enter the drier', it will be observed that the heat circulates by passing rearwardly in the drier and that t-he bricks being conveyed in the drier are subjected to heat of higher temperature as they are advanced in the drier, a. condition which results in an edicient and satisfactory treatment.

Should the heat emanating from the. kiln be greater than that desired for imparting proper temperature to the drier, it may be permitted to find its way directly to the stack through the flue 4l), or the valves or dampers may be so operated as to direct all of the heat to the drier.

In forming the fire chambers by the interposition of the dividing walls 19, every other wall may be provided with a manhole 49, and thus the number of manholes and covers for permitting access to the interior may be reduced. This construction will be more desirable perhaps than where a manhole is provided for each furnace section, as it would minimize the joints or door openings which might. permit the escape of heat.

The checkered superimposed bricks have their courses so arranged that they recede step by step from the inner wall of the tun` nel, and the lflues or passages formed by the superimposed bricks are of gradually increased height from the inner wall of the tunnel to the outer wall of the furnace to convey the heat to different heights in the tunnel.

It will be seen from an inspection drawing that the baille arches are of a contour that their edges are unbroken, except at the angular-ly disposed portions thereof, and this arrangement permits the piling of material on the car with its outer surfaces conforming to the contours of the arches, and it is the purpose of the inventor that the material shall be so placed as to leave 'very restricted openings or clearances between the piles of material and the edges of the arches. This will serve to prevent the ('-irculation of heat, to an undue extent, from the chamber between two arches to a chamber between other arches, and it will serve to permit the firing of the kiln in zones having different temperatures in order that the material entering the kiln may be progressively heated, and in order too that as it is advancing to the exit of the kiln, it will be progressively cooled.

rl`he arrangement of the sealing trougl'i under the car also serves to increase the capacity of the firing zone of the kiln, as

of the compared with any devices that have the Sealingjrough above the body of the Cai,

5 ing chambers on each Side of the tunnel,

superimposed checkered bricks 1n eac-h chamber, the inner edges ot the courses of the bricks, bengstepped outwardly towardwthe top', the luesfoimedbythe cheeke'lecl arrangement .of the bricks being gradually higher from the inner edge tauche` uter Wall ofl the-said chamber, amlmeans for generating heat under .the `checken-eel stifuetufe.

NICHOLAS U. LUDWIG.

I Claim: ln a kiln foi' burning bucks, a tunnel, {ir- 

